29 isiquijor 09 08

iSIQUIJOR Information is our business.

THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.PIA.GOV.PH and the DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.DOST.GOV.PH

VOL. 2 | NO. 29 September 1-8, 2014

DENR-Siquijor moves for sustainable development

by K.A. Yabo

SIQUIJOR(PIA)--The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in partnership with Siquijor provincial government conducted a workshop on Sustainable Development: Convergence Initiative and Local Governance recently at the Infinity Heights Resort, Pili, Siquijor.

Attendees were department heads and representatives from government line agencies from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Agriculture (DA), Bureau

of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippine Information Agency (PIA) the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and local chief executives.

Municipal mayors Dean Villa of LGU Larena and Mei Ling Quezon of LGU Siquijor were also part of the convergence.

DENR-Siquijor Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Moreno Tagra said the workshop aims to protect, conserve and rehabilitate the province’s natural resources.

The convergence will also assess and evaluate the different project implementations in

Workshop on Sustainable Development: Convergence Initiative and Local Governance spearheaded by the DENR-Siquijor through PENRO Moreno Tagra(speaking) at the Infinity Heights Resort, Pili, Siquijor.

all areas of concern in all municipalities of the province.

Ta g r a h i g h l i g h t s D E N R ’ s accomplishments in providing sustainable livelihood projects to various qualified People’s Organization (PO).

He said Integrated Coastal Resource Management Program (ICRMP) and Sustainable Coral Reef Ecosystems Management Program (SCREMP) are some of DENR’s organized program to increase awareness and information towards being sensitive to our marine and coastal resources.

According to him DENR’s mission is to be the driving force in the pursuit of sustainable development, enabling stakeholders’ participation in the protection, conservation and management of the environment and natural resources for the present and future generations.

Tagra encourages all government line agencies and LGU’s efforts and support towards implementing various programs and livelihood projects.

To realize its mission, he said, one of the livelihood programs is supporting qualified POs sustain its objective to become macro-enterprises in the future.

Issues concerning the province’s natural resources were discussed and some of these are re-conceptualizing recipients of the livelihood project and finding solutions for the extracted sands along port of Siquijor.

PENRO Tagra gets support from Governor Villa in visualizing and realizing the department’s mission as he vows to push economic enterprise and promote job and employment.

“It is just proper for us to keep and take good care of our natural resources”, said Gov. Villa during the event.

“It is not too late to start anew. We cannot wait for some other time and we cannot wait for anybody else to work for us. Protection and rehabilitation is everybody’s concern”, he added.

Gov. Villa called on everyone to work hand in hand towards a progressive Siquijor.

With the DENR’s effort and the support of the provincial government and stakeholders, “we must protect, conserve and retain the beauty of our natural and marine resources.”

Let our next generation see how wonderful our island was, is and will be, Tagra concluded. (mbcn/rac/PIA7-Siquijor/KAYabo/ DENR-Siquijor)

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DOST’s SciTech magazine now in electronic version

S&T Post, the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Technology Information Institute’s (DOST-STII) quarterly publication, is now an e-Magazine downloadable in iPhones and iPods via Apple Newsstand.

Aside from laymanized news and features about DOST’s programs, groundbreaking technologies and services whose applications are multi-sectoral, the publication also contains interviews on the country’s top science experts, interesting foreign news articles on science and technology (S&T), and relevant book and movie reviews.

An electronic version of the magazine was developed to make it accessible to a wider segment of the population and generate more interest in S&T especially among the country’s youth who will someday sustain national projects and activities in science.

“This e-Magazine is a breakthrough for us,” enthused DOST Asst. Secretary Raymund E.

Liboro during the launch. “This is the first time we’ve done something like this – to put our articles in a new format such as an e-Magazine.”

According to Neil Everett B. Elpusan, business development manager for mobile apps of Megamobile Inc, media consumption behavior has changed. Megamobile Inc., a mobile content and applications developer, is the creator of the S&T Post e-Magazine.

“In 2000, 2 million people accessed the Internet. To date, there are about 36.7 million online users in the Philippines,” Elpusan said.

Dr. Aristotle P. Carandang, S&T Post executive editor and chief of the Communication Resources and Production Division of STII, encouraged students attending the launch to check out the S&T Post e-Magazine to update themselves on S&T developments.

In particular, Dr. Carandang mentioned the Book and Movie Review sections as the newest additions to the magazine, and encouraged them

to contribute their own reviews and other science articles for succeeding issues of S&T Post whose readership includes the DOST community, the local science community, academe and policymakers.

At present, DOST-STII and Megamobile Inc. are working for the inclusion of video materials in the e-Magazine.

This new electronic format is the latest in a series of transformations underwent by S&T Post since its debut in May 1983 as National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) Post in newsprint. In 1989, NSTA Post became S&T Post. The magazine became smaller in 1993, started using book paper and putting color on its front page in 2000, changing its masthead several times, and assuming a magazine format in 2003, among others.

Though the quarterly publication now has an electronic version, its print version will still be published. (For those interested to contribute to S&T Post’s Book and Movie Review sections, please call 837-2191 local 107.) (S&T Media Service).

Nat’l scientist title conferred on academician Angel C. Alcala

Through Malacañang Proclamation No. 782 dated June 6, 2014, President Benigno S. Aquino conferred on Academician Angel C. Alcala the Rank and Title of National Scientist in recognition of his outstanding contributions to society, specifically his seminal and original research on the systematic, ecology, and diversity of Philippine amphibians and reptiles, and, marine biodiversity, reef fishes and conservation (marine-protected areas).

His studies on and advocacy of marine no-take zones led to a national policy and program that established no-take marine protective areas which has resulted in more than a thousand of

such marine no-take zones in the country and has become a model of coastal resource management and conservation adopted by many countries. Notake marine reserves allows the build-up of marine biodiversity including fishery species as well as export of adult fish to areas (outside of MPAs) used as fishing areas, thereby enhancing fish yields of fishers.

He spent his professional life as an academic leader, an institution builder, and a public administrator. He was appointed as president of the Silliman University, where he helped institutionalize scientific research on marine biology and marine conservation. Dr. Alcala was appointed to two important positions in the Fidel V. Ramos Cabinet; he served as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from 1992 to 1995 and later as Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education from 1995 to 1999, with probity, integrity, and transparency.

National Scientist Alcala is credited for his original and significant publications that are remarkably substantive on both ecological and taxonomic aspects. He has provided strong support to his colleagues and peers and has served as a role model among young scientists in support of their scientific and technological researches.

Academician Alcala obtained his B.S. in Biology magna cum laude from Silliman University

Siquijor lady representative Cong. Marie Anne Pernes (above), Gov. Zaldy Villa (below, right) and Lazi Mayor Orpheus Stag Fua (center), all speak about team work and sportsmanship as the province opens the Araw ng Siquijor celebration last September 5 at the Lazi Social Center.

in 1951 and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University in 1960 and 1966, respectively. He rose from the ranks of Instructor in Biology at Silliman to various high ranking positions at the University, including Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Director of the Marine Laboratory, and President (1991-1992).

He received honorary doctorates from Xavier University and University of Southeastern Philippines and has conducted extensive researches on Philippine amphibians and reptiles since the mid-1950s. He served as consultant on marine and aquatic projects supported by the United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Bank Global Environment Facility, the Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation, and the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute. He actively participated in the AustralianASEAN marine project from the mid-1980s to early 1990s.

Among the distinctive awards Academician Alcala received are the Gregorio Y. Zara medal for Basic Science by the Philippine Association for the Advancement of Science, Inc. (PhilAAS) (2011), Outstanding Men and Women of Science by the Department of Science and Technology (2009), and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (1992),

In 2004, Dr. Angel C. Alcala was elected to the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL), as academician. NAST PHL is the country’s highest recognition and advisory body to the government and science community on matters related to science and technology.

In December 2013, the members of NAST PHL endorsed Academician Alcala to President Benigno S. Aquino III for the Rank and Title of National Scientist, the highest recognition given by the President of the Republic of the Philippine to a Filipino man or woman of science in the Philippines who has made significant contributions in one of the different fields of science and technology. This award was created under Presidential Decree No. 1003-A on December 16, 1976.

Currently, Academician Alcala is Chairman of the Board of Advisers at the Silliman University Angelo King Center for Research and Environmental Management in Dumaguete City. He is also Professor Emeritus at the said university and is a member of the NAST Executive Council.

iSIQUIJOR GOVERNMENTNEWS

High exposure to internet, other media big factor in rise of youth’s sexual behavior

by Roi Anthoni B. Lomotan

D U M A G U E T E C I T Y, S e p t . 3 (PIA) – The high exposure of young people to internet technology and other media platforms has led to the rise in the number of sexually active youths in Central Visayas.

This is one of the major issues discussed during a Kapihan sa PIA here on the Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study (YAFS4) that some representatives of the Commission on Population-7 (PopCom-7) reported today.

PopCom-7 has noted that the emergence of new forms of information technology has given rise to new forms of sexual activity and new methods of meeting sexual partners which could lead into negative consequences to youths.

Base on YAFS4 data, 67.0% of them use the internet, 54.6% are on social media, 54.5% have actual e-mail addresses while majority of the youths which are 77.6% have cellular phones, 34.3% have textmates they have not met in person and 25.9% have online friends which they have not met in person.

This means most of young people in Central Visayas are digitally wired and because youths are getting hooked with the latest information and technology mediums, internet has become one of primary sources of information regarding sex.

Also, there has been a considerable level of access to pornographic materials including sexually explicit media among youths in Central Visayas.

POPCOM-7 Planning Officer Myrna Alaba, in her presentation on youth’s sexual behaviors, she disclosed that there has been an increase in the proportion of females who watch x-rated movies or video from 36.9 % in 2002 to 47.5% in 2013. While the number of males viewing pornographic videos have declined from 78.4% in 2002 to 76.0 in 2013.

Moreover, two out of ten youths in the region have sent or received sex videos through cell phones or in the internet.

With this Central Visayas placed third among other regions in the country with high percentage of youths who have watched x-rated movies/videos from the internet with 62.4%, based on YAFS4 study. CARAGA region placed first with 66.7% while National Capital Region (NCR) ranked second with 66.2%.

Region-7 is also fourth among regions with youths on high exposure to websites with sexually explicit content with 15.5%. The first was NCR with 33.3%, Region-4A with 19.0% and Region-3 with 16.7%, fifth was Region-11 with 14.5%.

Aside from these, Alaba also revealed other media-related sexual activities which young people in Central Visayas are involved in. These include, recording himself/ herself while having sexual intercourse, having sex with someone they met online or through text messages and phone sex.

Meanwhile, POPCOM Information Officer Darlynn Remolino also reported in the Kapihan the over-all figures of sexual activities of youths in Central Visayas.

She revealed that of the estimated 1,425,883 young people in the region (as of 2013), more than 503,000 of them have engaged in premarital sex; 353,000 of them did not use any form of protection during their first sexual intercourse.

In addition, around 73,000 youths have casual sex experience while 29,000 out of 725,706 male youths have male having sex with male experience. On the other hand, of the 376,411 females aged 15-19, more than 49,000 have begun childbearing.

Remolino added that “The awareness of AIDS is still high but the level of has sharply decline in the past decade and there

is poor knowledge of HIV-AIDS because they have lots of misconceptions on HIV.”

With this alarming data, the POPCOM-7 continues to call for intensified proper information dissemination about teenage sexuality and reproductive health as well as proper guidance from parents and school teachers to youths.

“They (teen-agers) have a hard time on understanding what is going on with them emotionally, physically, with the changes they undergo. This is the crucial stage (for them) and we, adults must come in to guide them,” POPCOM-7 Information Officer Sheryl May Villarta-Ygay said.

POPCOM-7 conducts U4U program that aims to provide an objective discussion to sexuality education.

Ygay said, they would explain to young people the changes they experience in adolescent and teach them how to become responsible in their actions and decisions.

Dumaguete City Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling has appealed to parents to strengthen values formation to their children. He lamented that this phenomenon is happening because of the deterioration of values among youths.

“The challenge for you, as lay leaders to be in the vanguard of struggle against immorality and indecency,” Maquiling said. He also advised parents to be dedicated and committed guardians of moral values of their children.

YASF4 is the fourth in the series of studies on Filipino youth which began in 1982. It has been the primary source of information on sexual and non-sexual risk behaviors among youths in the Philippines at the national and regional level.

Youth respondents of the study are between 15-24 years old which is said to be the reproductive age on young people. (mbcn/ral/PIA7-NegOr) - See more at: http://news.pia.

Candidates to the Miss Siquijor Tourism 2014 presented on September 5 during the Opening of Sports Activities in Lazi Siquijor. The beauty pageant is on September 16 at the Capital Square at 8:00 pm.

iSIQUIJORGOVERNMENTNEWS

iNFOBYTES

CSC-7 celebrates 114th PH Civil Service anniversary

CEBU CITY, September 4 (PIA) --The Civil Service Commission (CSC-7) in the region leads the month-long celebration of the Philippine Civil Service anniversary marking its 114th year as the stronghold of good governance in public service.

CSC-7 public assistance and liaison division chief Prolaine Daclan said this during the Association of Government Information Officers (AGIO-7) Forum recently at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA-7) regional office.

This is based on Public Law No. 5 on September 19, 1900, an act for the establishment and maintenance of our efficient and honest civil service in the country, continued Daclan.

Daclan also explained that the celebration aims to promote, showcase, and celebrate heroism in public service which also served to encourage and inspire state workers in their journey as servant heroes or lingkod bayani.

Va r i o u s a c t i v i t i e s w i l l b e spearheaded by the commission starting with the Regional Awarding Ceremony aimed to recognize and promote outstanding achievements of public servants in the region.

The highlights of the ceremony was the awarding of the six (6) government employees in the region as semi-finalists to the nationwide search for Outstanding Public Officials and Employees for the Honor Awards Program (HAP.)

Some government agencies were also recognized as one of the partners in mobilizing CSC programs and projects for service delivery excellence.

C S C C o m m i s s i o n e r A t t y.

Robert Martinez, who was the honored guest during the awarding ceremony

CEBUANO NEWS

PHL, nakadawat na usab og laing credit rating upgrade

MANILA, Sept. 04 (PIA)-Nakadawat na usab og laing credit rating upgrade ang Pilipinas gikan

encouraged government employees to continually elevate our delivery of services by aspiring to give our best for the good our countrymen.

He also shared the importance of being in one vision towards having a culture of excellence and to be their partners in promoting good governance.

This year ’s anniversary is “Tapat na Serbisyo Alay Ko, Dahil Lingkod Bayani Ako.”(mbcn/HFG/PIA7)

sa Nice Investors Service Company Limited nga naka-base sa South Korea.

Gitumbok sa maong credit company nga ang maayong pagdumala ug dugang imprastraktura sa nasud ang hinugdan sa pagpasaka niini sa ranggo sa Pilipinas base na usab sa pagtuon sa mga local ug international observers.

Gikan sa credit rating nga BB+, nisaka kini sa BBB- nga adunay grade A usab nga positive outlook.

Kini na ang pang-18 nga positive rating nga nakuha sa Pilipinas gikan sa mga international credit company sukad nagsugod ang Aquino administration.

Matud pa ni Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, pagmatuod lamang kini sa padayong pagsalig sa international community sa potensyal sa ekonomiya sa nasud.

Ug atubangan sa maayong paglihok sa ekonomiya, gihangyo sa Malakanyang ang pakig-hiusa sa tanan alang sa pagkab-ot sa mas malambuon nga Pilipinas. (mbcn/ecb/PIA7-Bohol)

iSIQUIJOR

is the Island of Siquijor’s first electronic newsletter produced by the Philippine Information Agency-Siquijor Information Center and the DOST - Provincial Science and Technology Center.

It contains snippets of information about Siquijor, Central Visayas and the Philippine Government.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS EVERYDAY. Mass Renewal of PANUNUMPA NG LINGKOD KAWANI officiated by RTC Judge Alejandro Bahonsua in celebration of the 114th Philippine Civil Service Annivesary and in time with the opening of the Araw ng Siquijor sports activity on September 5 at Lazi Quadrangle, Lazi, Siquijor.

FOLLOW US online! /Pia Siquijor /PIA Siquijor @PiaSiquijor